Alaska/Pacific Coast
2020 Upper Cook Inlet Sockeye Salmon Forecast Alaska Department of Fish and Game - January 28, 2020 Forecast MethodsThe major sockeye salmon systems in Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) are the Kenai, Kasilof, and Susitna rivers, and Fish Creek. Available escapement (spawner abundance), return, sibling, fry, and smolt data were examined for each system. Four models were evaluated to forecast the total run of sockeye salmon to UCI in 2020: (1) the relationship between adult returns and spawners, (2) the relationship between adult returns and fall fry, (3) the relationship between adult returns and emigrating smolt, and (4) the relationship between sibling returns. Several forecast models were evaluated for each stock and age class. Model that provided the smallest mean absolute percent error (MAPE) between the forecast and actual runs over the past 10 years were selected. Forecast model predictions were compared to evaluate uncertainty. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/1133308674.pdf 2020 Prince William Sound and Copper River Salmon Forecast Alaska Department of Fish and Game - January 28, 2020 Forecasts of total run were calculated for Copper River wild Chinook and sockeye salmon, Gulkana Hatchery sockeye salmon, Coghill Lake sockeye salmon, and for wild PWS pink and chum salmon. Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation (PWSAC) and Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA) provide additional forecasts for hatchery-specific stocks. In addition to forecasts, a summary of recent 10-year averages (2010–2019) of Commercial Common Property Fishery (CCP) harvest for most wild stocks and Gulkana Hatchery production isalso included. Salmon forecasts are inherently uncertain and are primarily used to gauge the magnitude of expected runs and set early-season harvest management strategy. In 2020, the department will continue to manage PWS Area commercial salmon fisheries inseasonbased on the strength of salmon abundance indices including sonar counts, weir passage, aerial escapement surveys, and fishery performance data. https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/1133277601.pdf Breaking down Alaska seafood’s economic value Anchorage Daily News by Laine Welch - January 29, 2020 Which Alaska region is home to the most fishing boats, and where do most of Alaska’s fishermen live? Answers to those questions and many others can be found in the annual report Economic Value of Alaska’s Seafood Industry 2020 by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The report, prepared by the McDowell Group, gives a fishing snapshot by Alaska region, including employment rates and tax revenues, and breaks down the industry’s impacts to the nation and the world. https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/01/28/breaking-down-alaska-seafoods-economic-value/ Environment/Science Alaska’s Cook Inlet beluga whales continue population decline PBS.ORG by Associated Press - January 28, 2020 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The population of endangered beluga whales in Alaska’s Cook Inlet continues to decline, federal marine mammal authorities announced Tuesday. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/alaskas-cook-inlet-beluga-whales-continue-decline Climate Change Doesn’t Have To Be Dire For Seafood, Researchers Say Forbes by Jenny Splitter Contributor - January 28, 2020 The increasingly worrisome impacts of climate change may not mean the end of seafood on our plates, a new study suggests. In a new paper entitled The Future Of Food From The Sea, researchers found that the ocean could supply over six times the amount of food that it does today—that’s 364 metric tons of protein—but only if we change the way we govern, manage and consume the world’s fish supply. To put it bluntly—if a little too simply—if you’re ready to eat less wild Atlantic salmon and more sustainably farmed seaweed and mussels, keep on reading. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennysplitter/2020/01/28/climate-change-doesnt-have-to-be-dire-for-seafood-researchers-say/#48f0eb0372ce Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Halibut Deck Sorting Monitoring Requirements for Trawl Catcher/Processors Operating in Non-Pollock Groundfish Fisheries Off Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 01/28/2020 NMFS announces approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of collection-of-information requirements, which were contained in regulations to implement catch handling and monitoring requirements to allow Pacific halibut (halibut) bycatch to be sorted on the deck of trawl catcher/processors (C/Ps) and motherships participating in the non-pollock groundfish fisheries off Alaska, in a final rule published on October 15, 2019. The intent of this rule is to inform the public of the effectiveness of the collection-of-information requirements associated with the catch handling and monitoring requirements included in the October 15, 2019, final rule. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/28/2020-00712/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-halibut-deck-sorting-monitoring-requirements-for
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.